Kate Middleton May Spend Her Birthday Without Prince William

If you were wondering why colorful ribbons were falling from the sky this morning as you made your way into work and were puzzled as to the glitter rising to the surface of your coffee, there’s an explanation: it is Kate Middleton’s birthday. Yes, the duchess, the princess, the icon turns 32 today. While last year William took Kate (and the rest of her family) to a Cirque du Soleil show at Royal Albert Hall, this year it appears as though Kate will be celebrating in a decidedly more low-key manner. Kate will remain at Kensington Palace, as the Palace has issued a statement that she is celebrating “privately.” Her mom, Carole, was spotted in London yesterday, and the two of them were seen shopping at department store Peter Jones in the home-furnishings section. E! News predicts Kate will be spending most of the day today with her mother and other family members, and the Daily Beast also believes she’ll be having a quiet birthday with “family and a few close friends.”

As for William, no one is quite sure if he’ll be celebrating with his wife or not. E! and others say William will be remaining in Cambridge, where he began his ten-week agricultural management program earlier this week (and where he is renting a residence for the duration of the program). But we sincerely hope this is a television-style “fake-out” plot where he’s been telling her all week he’s got “so much work already” and he’ll “do what he can to make it back Thursday, but he has to see how the paper goes” (“Oh,” Kate says, “Sure, I mean, I guess that makes sense,” before laughing awkwardly and nearly shouting, “I have George here, so . . .!”), only for him to surprise her this morning at Kensington Palace with a bouquet and a pony and Taylor Swift singing on a parade float or whatever.

What can you do personally to observe this holy day? Well, here are a few options:

— Make today the day you finally attempt to pull off ringlets. When you get to work, strut you stuff down the hallway and make sure your office crush catches you twirling; you'll have a Prince William of your own before lunch.

— Put on a fascinator, go to Starbucks, and when the barista asks for your name, say “the Duchess of Cambridge.” Then when he calls that out when your drink’s ready, smile and say, “Oh, you can call me ‘Kate’” as you take your coffee.

— Print out all the pictures from our Kate Middleton hair-in-review slideshow and leave them in various spots throughout your hometown to brighten the day of whoever may find them ("spreading the gospel," if you will).